Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday appealed the Bharatiya Janata Party 'not to create trouble and halt its yatra to Srinagar as the party will in no way be benefited by it'.
In a teleconference with British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, who is presently on a visit to India, Omar said that the quality of Indo-Pak relations has great bearings on Jammu and Kashmir and its people as "they get positively or negatively impacted by the nature of the relations between the two neighbouring countries."
'Pakistan will also have to play its role in this so that the relations between the two countries improve.'
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA) from certain areas of the state was in no way an effort to undermine the role of the Army.
US Senator John McCain met Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah immediately after his arrival in Srinagar on a two day visit.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah while congratulating the former Pakistan prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharief for his electoral victory, reminded him of the initiative he took during his earlier premiership to restore friendship with India.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday told the state assembly that 2001 Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru's hanging was not 'selective and political' and that 'the course of action regarding similar cases would determine it'.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday underscored the need to achieve parity between the state's Juvenile Justice Act and the National Act.
Hitting back at the Peoples Democratic Party, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday accused its leader Mufti Mohammad Sayeed of "shutting his eyes" to the sex scandal when it first surfaced in 2006 as his own people were involved.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir at a high-level meeting in Jammu attended by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and stressed the need for a strong coordination among various agencies to stamp out militancy there.
Visa to author Salman Rushdie is unlikely to be a big election issue for Muslims, who are more concerned with their day-to-day affairs, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Wednesday.
Anguished over disruptions in Parliament on the issue of FDI in retail, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said the time has come for "no work, no pay" for MPs if minimum hours of business were not transacted .
A court in New Delhi on Tuesday granted two-hour custody parole to Kashmiri leader Sheikh Abdul Rashid to take oath as a Lok Sabha MP on July 5.
There are two constituencies in the district, including Kangan and the prestigious Ganderbal constituency from where National Conference president Omar Abdullah is pitched against eleven other candidates, including Qazi Mohammad Afzal of the People's Democratic Party and Sheikh Mohammad Ashfaq of the Congress.
As he grapples with a difficult situation in Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has admitted that the recent developments have 'dented' the credibility of his government and his own image, but made it clear that he would not run away as he was not a 'weak person'. He said the stone-pelting incidents and strikes in the valley are "symptoms of a wider problem", which is that people on both sides of the Line of Control have been fed on a 'diet that there is a problem'.
The controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act may soon be withdrawn from some parts of Jammu and Kashmir as Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday briefed Union Home Minister P Chidambaram about the improved security situation in the state.
The attack, which took place near a heavily guarded complex housing All India Radio and Doordarshan Kendra near the Tourist Reception Centre, comes a day after security forces eliminated a top Pakistani commander of Lashkar-e-Tayiba in the Khanyar locality of downtown Srinagar.
As schools in Kashmir Valley reopened on Monday after over three months, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah asked hardline Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and other separatists not to target children because they are going to schools.
In the wake of the State Human Rights Commission's findings -- that over 2,000 unidentified bodies are buried in 38 sites in north Kashmir -- Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said there was a need for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to find out the truth about what has happened in the Valley in the last 21 years. "There is a need for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. That commission should be assigned to find answers to the incidents of the last 21 years," he said.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said he was eagerly waiting for the final report of National Investigating Agency (NIA) which is probing role of surrendered Kashmiri militant Liyaqat Shah for allegedly planning a terror attack here.
Cabinet Secretary Ajit Kumar Seth, Defence Secretary Shashikant Sharma and Home Secretary RK Singh were taken by surprise when the Army's Northern Command told them that there had been no consultations on the subject of revocation of the AFSPA even once in 2011. The chief minister's declaration was totally unilateral, the three top secretaries to the Government of India were told
Voting for this crucial phase, covering 40 assembly segments across seven districts -- Jammu, Udhampur, Samba and Kathua in the Jammu region and Baramulla, Bandipora and Kupwara in north Kashmir -- is scheduled for October 1.
Clarifying her stand on alleged custodial death of a ruling National Conference activist, opposition Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said that her party was not demanding the dismissal of the state government on the issue, but only stepping down of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his junior home minister Nasir Aslam Wani to enable a fair investigation.
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Tuesday said the name of Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah never figured in the 2006 sex scandal case in which two ministers of the then Peoples Democratic Party regime were arrested.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday said that the 'unelected nominees of New Delhi locked up the elected representatives' of the people of Jammu and Kashmir after prominent leaders from ruling and opposition parties were not allowed to leave their houses to prevent them from visiting the graveyard of 1931 martyrs in Srinagar.
The Jammu and Kashmir government attached two senior police officials, including the Inspector General (Security) on Thursday, for lax security arrangements for Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at an Independence day function, during which a suspended head constable hurled a shoe at him.
Sharing the concern of 38 lakh pre-paid mobile phone subscribers hit by the ban on their SIM cards in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said genuine users should not be affected as a small service group did not do proper verification while issuing such cards. Abdullah said he would hold talks with the Centre, including Home Minister P Chidambaram, to resolve the issue as the blanket ban on the use of pre-paid SIM cards is not the answer.
Jammu and Kashmir is facing a severe water crisis this year due to a massive rainfall deficit. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed concern about the situation and called for a proactive approach towards water management and conservation. The state has witnessed an 80% deficit in rainfall this year, raising the possibility of drought in the valley this summer. Several water bodies are flowing below the zero level mark, and some springs in south Kashmir have dried up completely. The water level in Jhelum and other major streams is alarmingly low.
"Since home minister has called a meeting of the chief ministers on internal security on Januray 6, I hope to take over before that so that I could represent J&K as the chief minister. But we have few formalities. The governor's rule has to be revoked before that," Omar Abdullah said.
Payal, who has been residing at 7, Akbar Road bungalow since 1999, however, refused to move out and urged the court to pass an order.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said 'the improvement in the law and order situation in the state was visible on the ground'.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday wondered where have the Indian troops withdrawn to after the Chinese troops ended their incursions in Ladakh after 19 days.
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, reading out a resolution adopted at the meeting, said the parties have decided to send delegations to meet President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders of political parties to apprise them about the consequences of any attempt to abrogate Article 370 and Article 35A of the Constitution, or carry out delimitation of constituencies or trifurcating the state.
Thousands of tourists have begun leaving Kashmir after a terror attack in Pahalgam killed 26 people, prompting authorities to arrange for their safe return. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed concern over the exodus, while the Civil Aviation Ministry has ordered airlines to ensure there are no fare hikes and to offer extra flights from Srinagar. While many tourists are leaving, some are choosing to stay, citing the presence of security forces and their feeling of safety.
Opposition Peoples Democratic Party patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has urged the Union government to return the mortal remains of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru to his family for burial 'to retrieve trust of the people of Kashmir'.
Terming the bi-annual shifting of state capital as a "necessary evil", Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday advocated a reverse 'darbar move' so that the government stays with the people when they are facing hardships due to extreme weather.
Having defied convention, Kashmir's first all-girls rock band is facing a challenge of online threats and abuses from conservative sections of the society.
Heavy rain triggered flash floods in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, killing three people and prompting the rescue of over 100 others. The floods also caused landslides and mudslides, disrupting traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. Rescue operations are ongoing, and the situation is being monitored by authorities.
'The BJP has killed public anger. They have killed people's self-respect.'
